St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-03-26
CRUEL REVENG :.

handed Lecture with the Terrible Name.
and was shifting all the coasts of Penn
syyania with it, sparing neither (pr"-
nounced nyther) young or old, an"
wearing at my belt the scalps Of many
Il pale-face audience. One night
reached Erie the pleasant just az the
clocks in the Lord Mayors castle
struck twenty-one. 1t was bitter, bit-
ing, singing cold and there was NJ
ambulance at the station, while there
was good hotel there. | went IN ana
registered, and a man Of commanding
presence, tailor-built clothes and Il
brown beard Of most refined culture.
followed me, and under my plebeian
scrawl made the register luminous with
his patrician cognomen. l stood 1T
tie in awe of this majestic being, about
as little as | usually stand in the pres
ence of any ma jestic creature, and when
in deep bass, commanding voice he
ordered a room had great mind
something that | always carry with me
when [ travel-to 90 out and get him
one. The gcntlemanly and urbane
night clerk, who also seemed to be
deeply impressed-as is the habit of the
night clerk-with the gentleman re-
sponsible-to-any amount foot on
Sawmbel said he was sorry but he had
but one vacant room and it contained
but one bed, STILL he said, as be-
came man who was bound to stand
for his house if it hadn't bed in it,
at was very wide bed, very wide
and quite long. Two gentlemen could
sleep in it quite comfortably, and if
But the Commanding Being at my side
said that was quite altogether out OF
thc.question entirely Quite! He was sor-
~ for the--here he looked at me, hesitat-
ed. but finally said-gentleman, but He
couldn't share His room with him. He
was sorry for the-gentlcman and hop
ed he might find comfortable lodgings,
but He couldn't permit him to occupy
even portion of His bed. Then the
clerk begged pardon, and was sorry.
and all that, but this other gentleman
had registered first, and it
was for him to say what dis
position should be made of this lonely
room and solitary bed. I fastened to
assure the majestic being that it was
all right; he was welcome to two-thirds
of the room, all the looking-glass and
one-half of the bed. No" he said,
very abruptly, Il will sit here by the
stove and sleep in chair. | thank
you, sir, but | would not sleep with my
own brother. prefer a room to my
SELF I meekly told him that didn't
know what kind of man his brother
was, but no doubt he did, and there
fore | must conclude that he wasn't
fit man to sleep with. But his brother
was out of the question, and if he
wanted part of my couch, he might
have it and welcome, and | would agree
not to think of his brother. NO sir
he said, Il will sleep in no mans bed.'f
said wouldn't either, if I wasn't
sleepy, but when l was sleepy, didn't
care; I'd sleep with the King of Eng
land or the President, and wouldn't
care a cent who knew it.
Well, l went to bed, | curled up un-
der the warm, soft blankets, and heard
the wind shrek and wall and whistle
and yell-how like all creation the
wind can blow in Erie-and as the night
grew colder and colder every minute,
| fell asleep and dreamed that heaven
was just forty-eight miles west of Dun
kirk. About 2:30 or 3o'clock there
came laundering rap at the door,and
with vague, half-waking impression
in my dream that SOMEBODY from the
other place was trying to get in, l
said:
what is it?''
1T is t. answered a splendid voice.
which [ recognized at once. Il am
the gentleman who came on the train
with YOU
Eyes," said, land what is the mat
ter?''
The splendid voice was a triae hum
bic as it replied:
Il have changed my mind about
sleeping with another man.
$50 have IT, howled, so ioyoua]v
that the very winds laughed in merry
echo $50 have I! wouldn't get out
OF this warm bed to open that docr tor
my own brother''
l will close this story here. III
should write the language that went
down that dim, cold hall outside M,
door you wouldn't print it. And when
next morning went skipping down.
stairs as fresh as rose, and saw that
majestic being knotted up in hard
arm chair, looking hundred years old,
I said:
"Better is poor and wise child than
an old and foolish King, who knoweth
not how to he a6mon;Shad Eo,.